Reunion
by Ale Sieben
Summary: For some reason, the Lifestream decided to return Aerith, Zack, and Sephiroth to the land of the living. This provides not only them with a second chance at life, but all their remaining friends and acquaintances with a precious chance to make amends.


**Chapter summary:**

Chaos forces Vincent to keep an eye on the Forgotten Capital now and then even though the gunman considers it pointless. However, something happens during Vincent's latest patrol that will bring unexpected consequences.

 **Chapter notes:**

Hi, all! Just a short teaser of a chapter to let all of you that I'm alive and (mostly) well and still writing. I've just been busy with life and other projects so a new _Director and General_ chapter will still have to wait a couple of weeks more. In the meantime, there's this! The first chapter in the prequel to _Amends: Tseng_. I hope you enjoy it!

 **Chapter 1: Washed Ashore**

Vincent stared at the barrier that kept anyone from entering the Forgotten City's main altar for the umpteenth time. In the five years since Meteorfall, he'd found himself patrolling the city of Aerith's ancestors several times a year, and he always ended up at the shell-like structure by the lake where their fallen companion's body rested. He would sometimes sit by the lakeshore and just listen to the water, to the few birds that still found the forest habitable, to the Planet itself. He really couldn't make much sense of the soft groans and sighs that comprised the Planet's voice, but he knew enough to understand that it wasn't death throes he was listening to, not anymore. They weren't happy sounds, either, but he thought he could hear some sort of relief, maybe even relaxation. It was almost as if the Planet acknowledged the fact that all major threats to its continued existence had been dealt with and mankind had finally begun paying attention to the needs of their one and only home.

Other times, however, the lake would bring far too many bittersweet memories and he would instead pass his guarding time inside the shell house. This was one of those days and, like usual, he found the ridiculous fish barrier irritating. He had tried many times to breach it—he shot at it with every single gun in his collection, slashed at it with his gauntlet and kicked at it with his brass boots; he had even convinced Chaos to give it a go once but all of it had been useless. Not even magic made a shred of difference—the stupid clownfish would not waver (he thought it was a clownfish but, really, his marine biology knowledge was rather limited).

It wasn't like he had any business wanting to go down into the altar, really—he was just curious.

 _ **Perhaps that's the problem**_ _,_ Chaos's voice rumbled in his head. _**The last time that barrier opened, all of you had a perfectly valid reason to intrude. Now you're just bored.**_

 _I wouldn't be bored if someone didn't drag me here every few of months to stand guard over a desolate city._

 _ **Something's not quite right here. I can't believe you can't feel it.**_

Vincent sighed and rubbed his temple. They'd had the same conversation several times over the years and he really didn't feel like going through it again. Feeling Chaos sulk when the Weapon realised he wouldn't have a chance to talk Vincent's ear off gave him a little satisfaction but it didn't change the fact that he _was_ bored and there was absolutely nothing to do other than walk around aimlessly through what amounted to a ghost town of the Cetra. _Again_. So he decided to take a nap to while away the hours until Chaos gave up and let him return to Junon to check up on Reeve and the WRO.

 _I suppose you'll keep watch while I rest, right?_

 _ **Of course**_ , Chaos said. _**One of us has to be the responsible adult.**_

 _Well, you_ are _thousands of years older than me. I guess you fit the bill quite nicely,_ grandpa _._

 _ **I'm splitting at the seams, I really am**_ _,_ Chaos said dryly _._ _ **Just go to bed,**_ **child** _ **.**_

Vincent smiled and settled down to sleep on the Lake House's second floor.

He wasn't sure what ultimately woke him up, whether the rumbling noise from outside that sounded like the world was crumbling away or Chaos's desperate yelling giving him a nearly instant splitting headache. All Vincent knew was that he was up on his feet before he was entirely awake, his right hand on his gun and his left arm stretched before him, brass gauntlet glinting in the house's faint blue light.

 _ **About damn time!**_ Chaos growled, obviously annoyed.

Vincent was still fuzzy from sleep, but his senses sharpened quickly enough as his body fought to retain its balance amidst the strange oscillating motion the house seemed to be caught in.

"An earthquake?" Vincent mused aloud. "This is not a seismic zone."

 _ **I don't think that's what it is**_ _,_ Chaos said. _**Something's going on outside—something major.**_

Without bothering to ask what that might mean, Vincent made his way to the entrance without tripping or falling, something he considered a feat when taking into account the insane motions of the shell structure. As he took the first step outside the house, a roar like a giant wave crashing upon a cliff nearly deafened him and a light as bright as the Lifestream gathering in Midgar five years prior blinded him temporarily, causing him to stumble back into the shell house as he covered his ears with his hands, Cerberus clattering somewhere off to his side.

He had no idea how long he sat leaning against the wall with his fingers jammed into his ears and his head between his knees, feeling like a child cowering in the middle of a thunderstorm. When the tremors stopped and the roar died almost as suddenly as it began he thought for a second that he had actually gone deaf, so still and quiet everything around him was. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking hard and quickly once he realised his vision was populated with bright sparks and afterimages. It took a couple of minutes for his vision to return to normal; when it did, he reached for Cerberus and was reassured that his hearing was fine when he could hear the heavy gun scrapping against the floor as he lifted it.

He got up and made sure the gun was locked and loaded before venturing outside. In spite of all the noise and movement from before, nothing seemed out of the ordinary; there were no upturned trees, no cracks on the ground, no signs that anything catastrophic had occurred.

The gunman had taken no more than four or five steps towards the lakeshore when Chaos made him stop.

 _ **This is impossible.**_

 _What now?_

Instead of answering, Chaos nudged him forward a little. This time, it was Vincent who stopped abruptly.

Lying down on the lakeshore, the cold water lazily lapping at their feet, were three bodies—a woman and two men. All of them seemed unconscious but were very much alive—Vincent could see the slow rise and fall of their chests as they breathed and some faint shivering caused by the soft breeze that had begun to blow.

Vincent immediately recognised Aerith Gainsborough—her hair was loose and covered more than half her face but there was no mistaking the woman who had helped them save the world twice from the other side.

Next to her was a young man with long, black hair and a Soldier uniform very similar to the one Cloud used to wear. It, along the memory of a faded photograph the Turks had dug up from the old Shinra building, allowed Vincent to identify the man as Zack Fair.

The return of these two people alone would be enough to throw anyone into a state of vigilance. The addition of the third person, however, threw Vincent into full alert mode, something that hadn't happened since he faced Deepground and Omega.

It was Sephiroth, dressed in his characteristic attire but missing his even more distinctive weapon, silver hair spread out over and around him like a wet blanket. He looked vulnerable and almost innocent, an idea Vincent quickly dismissed as memories of the chaos and destruction of which the man was capable danced around his head. His grip on Cerberus tightened and he started thinking of ways to restrain Sephiroth while he took care of the other two.

 _ **I'm not saying you can let your guard down completely, but he's just a man now, Vincent.**_

 _What do you mean, 'just a man'?_

 _ **Jenova's gone. It's just him inside his body now.**_

Vincent blinked slowly as he tried to take that information in. He didn't get very far with that as Aerith stirred, a soft groan escaping her lips as she tried to get away from the water even though she wasn't fully awake yet.

Pushing Chaos's commentary aside, Vincent holstered his gun and ran to his companion's side. He wanted to turn her over to check her torso, to make sure the wound left behind by Sephiroth's Masamune wasn't open and bleeding—he couldn't smell blood on her but he needed to check, all the same—when his gauntlet caught in her jacket. Glaring at it, he quickly undid the straps that kept it attached to his arm and took it off, throwing it in the general direction of the shell house. He then proceeded to move Aerith until she was lying on her back, away from the water.

Her skin was cold and she was completely soaked. For a moment, Vincent worried that she might be covered in mako or Lifestream but Chaos reassured him that it was just water and they didn't need to worry about mako poisoning. A quick check of her torso and back reassured him that her body was intact; there wasn't even a scar to mark the place where Sephiroth's blade pierced her. There were no other visible injuries, either.

Satisfied that she was unharmed, at least physically, Vincent decided to take Aerith to the shell house while he checked on Zack and decided what to do about Sephiroth. He'd barely gotten up with the young Cetra bundled in his cape and safely cradled in his arms when he felt someone move behind him. As he turned around, he had time enough to see Zack's punch coming and to dodge it almost lazily. The young man stumbled and fell to his knees, breathing heavily and coughing. Keeping a safe distance between them and mindful of his charge, Vincent moved so he was in Zack's direct line of vision, ensuring the younger man didn't see the (hopefully) unconscious form of the General and got even more worked up.

"Let her… go…"

Zack's voice sounded rough from disuse but, although he was panting heavily, it still carried an air of command that impressed Vincent. When he managed to lift his head to lock his sky-blue eyes with the gunman's crimson ones, Vincent saw desperation, anger, confusion. All of that tugged at the gunman's heartstrings for entirely different reasons.

"I'm a friend," Vincent said calmly, trying to be reassuring. "Of Aerith's and Cloud's. I'm not going to hurt either of you. I want to help."

Zack's eyes widened in recognition at the sound of Cloud's name but narrowed as he took a moment to process Vincent's words and examine him. His gaze then fell on the older man's gun and his right hand went to his back to retrieve a sword that wasn't there but at Aerith's church back in Midgar's ruins. The movement was automatic and the disappointment evident, but he quickly adjusted to the situation and instead tried to get up. He stumbled twice before managing it and he nearly fell back down after taking two steps towards Vincent but he was relentless.

All through this Vincent didn't move. He remembered what it was like to wake up in a strange place, not knowing how he got there or what was going on. He remembered the confusion, the pain, the misery of it all, and he knew that the last thing he needed right now was for Zack to see him as a potential threat. So he stood there, holding on to Aerith and feeling her begin to shiver under his cape while Zack made his way slowly towards them.

When he was only a couple of feet away, the young Soldier reached towards Aerith but stopped halfway when she stirred in Vincent's arms. Her bright green eyes opened slowly and she made a little questioning sound. It took her a moment to be able to get her thoughts in order; when she finally managed it, she looked a lot less lost and confused than Zack, leading Vincent to believe she might have a clue as to what had just happened.

"Vincent…? Is… is that you?"

He wasn't ready for it, to hear her voice again. A part of him was still unsure whether this was the same Aerith he'd met all those years ago but the sound of her voice was enough to dispel any lingering doubts.

They'd only known each other for a few weeks when she died so he wouldn't say they were exactly close but he'd come to consider her as a friend, regardless of all his misgivings when it came to interacting with others. The day she'd fallen at the alter below them, he'd been surprised to feel tears falling down his face as he paid his final respects to her. Today, he was just as surprised to feel them again, joy throbbing in his chest.

He swallowed thickly twice before being able to reply.

"Yes, Aerith. It's me. Welcome back."

She smiled, then, small due to the obvious weariness whatever process she'd just been through caused, but it was as warm and bright as he remembered it from that day Cloud woke him from his slumber at the Shinra Mansion.

"Thanks. Is Zack…?"

Her voice faltered, panic gripping her. Before Vincent had a chance to reply, Zack closed the distance between them and took one of Aerith's shaking hands in his equally unsteady ones.

"I'm here, Aerith. It's okay, I'm here now. Everything's—"

He swooned, barely managing to hold on to Vincent's shoulder to avoid falling to his knees again. Aerith called his name, panic colouring her voice again as she tried not to fall off Vincent's arms while at the same time leaning towards Zack to check on him. Vincent managed to balance her in one arm while he used the other to steady Zack.

"We need to get you both in the shell house," he said. "Can you walk, Zack?"

The former Soldier gulped heavily before managing the tiniest of nods. "If you don't mind me holding on to you."

"Just try not to trip me."

They made their way back to the shell house slowly. By the time they arrived, Zack was panting heavily and sweating like he'd just run in all the way from Midgar. Vincent led him to the second floor and had him sit down and hold on to Aerith while he dug out his towel from his backpack. He did his best to get both of them as dry as possible to keep them from catching a cold; he then took out his bedroll and spread it so both of them could lay on it. When they did, he covered them with his cape and was about to add his blanket when Aerith stopped him.

"You'll need something for Sephiroth," she said.

Zack's eyes grew wide for a second before he settled back into a mostly neutral expression. Vincent, however, continued to look confused.

"You knew he washed ashore, too?"

Aerith nodded, weariness threatening to claim her again. Stubbornly, though, she fought it so she could at least give Vincent some information.

"I don't know why or how but it was decided that we should come back. All three of us. She's gone… he's not a threat anymore…"

Her voice trailed off and Vincent arranged his cape around her shoulders while bidding her sleep. He noticed the wary look Zack was giving him and did his best to smile reassuringly at him.

"I know what she said," the young man whispered, "but be careful."

Vincent simply nodded and Zack closed his eyes with a small sigh.

The gunman took a moment to look at the pair. Aerith was curled on her side, her head resting on Zack's shoulder while his arms were wrapped protectively around her. She looked exhausted but strangely peaceful when considering where she was and who was outside. Zack looked wary enough for the both of them, though, frowning even in his sleep.

It worried him that Aerith didn't know how or why they'd ended up alive again but took some comfort in the fact that she'd more or less confirmed what Chaos told him earlier about Sephiroth and Jenova. All the same, he was still very much inclined to follow Zack's advice and treat Sephiroth as a potential threat.

When he stepped outside, there was a moment's flare of panic when he realised the former General was not where he'd washed up. Cursing under his breath, Vincent picked up his gauntlet and put it back on before checking the tracks left behind by Sephiroth. They lead away from the shell house and towards the forest; by the look of them, Vincent could tell Sephiroth had managed to get up but was dragging his feet as he went. Considering that he didn't spend more than fifteen or twenty minutes inside the house with Aerith and Zack, he assumed the swordsman hadn't gotten very far.

His suspicions were confirmed when he found Sephiroth sitting against a tree not ten feet from the forest's edge. Like Zack, he was panting and sweating and he was pressing his right hand against his side as he winced in pain. His expression and the realisation that the small trek had been too much for him further confirmed Chaos and Aerith's assessment of the General's current state.

Vincent unclasped his gun's holster and kept his hand near the trigger just in case. He approached Sephiroth and stopped when he was two feet away from him. Before he could say anything, Sephiroth lifted his head and rested it against the tree's trunk with a small _thunk_ before fixing his glowing green eyes on the gunman.

"Vincent Valentine… wasn't it? Come to kill me so soon?"

The gunman's right eye twitched at the implication that he would just execute the younger man without giving him a chance at anything but he understood why Sephiroth might think that. Remembering Aerith's words and her apparent concern for the silver-haired man, the gunman forced himself to take his hand away from his gun and to relax his stance.

"No," he said. "Aerith said you're no longer a threat and Jenova is no longer a concern, so there's no reason to attack you."

"Then why are… you here?"

"I'm taking you to the shell house so you can get dry and rest, for starters. We can figure the rest out later."

With a defeated sigh, Sephiroth closed his eyes. "I can't… can't even get up."

Vincent nodded and bent down to help Sephiroth up. He had planned on having him cling to his side like Zack had done before but it was clear that the silver-haired man was too weak to manage even that. With an exasperated sigh, the gunman simply picked Sephiroth up bridal style and began walking towards the shell house. The former General tried to protest but Vincent didn't listen and Sephiroth was out for the count again by the time they made it to the house.

After drying Sephiroth, wrapping him in his blanket, and setting him down in a corner away from the other two, Vincent stepped outside of the house and sat on the lakeshore to think.

 _ **You'll have to call someone at some point.**_

 _I know. Cloud is the obvious choice but I don't know how he'll react. Particularly to Sephiroth._

 _ **You're holding up remarkably well.**_

Vincent smirked. _After everything I've been through in the last forty-odd years, Chaos, something like this doesn't cause that big of an impact._

 _ **Hn.**_

It was true. Since his father's death, Vincent had seen and experienced things that would've driven anyone insane. Not that he was a poster child for sound mental health but he had fared much better than could be expected. Besides, it wasn't like people coming back from the death was new to him. Sephiroth had managed it twice already and even Hojo had been able to pull a similar stunt. The main difference this time was that two of the people that had just returned had given their lives to save the Planet so their resurrection felt like a vindication of sorts.

The problem was, why were they back? Why was _Sephiroth_ back? Was another crisis at hand and the Planet thought they needed extra help so it decided to return Aerith and the others to the actual battlefield? If so, what could it be? Genesis and Weiss were still somewhere out there but it had been two years since anyone had seen or heard from them. The WRO and Shinra were well on their way to getting rid of mako as an energy source so there was no reason to fear another ecological catastrophe. No new terrorist organisations were on their radars, no threats that could justify a move like this from the Planet.

Realising he wouldn't get any answers just by mulling things over on his own, Vincent decided to leave the whys or wherefores of the current situation aside and to focus on what to do about the three people currently sleeping inside the shell house.

He removed his gauntlet again and fished his phone from his pants' pocket. He speed dialled Cloud's number and was mildly surprised when the blond picked up after the first ring.

" _Vincent? Is everything all right?"_

It sounded a lot like Cloud had been expecting a call from the gunman and Vincent thought that maybe the blond had felt something. After all, few people were as close to Aerith, Zack, and Sephiroth as Cloud. Hoping it would make matters easier, Vincent responded with something he wasn't quite sure whether or not was a lie.

"Everything is fine but I need you to come to the Forgotten City right away. Don't tell anyone where you're going."

" _What? Vincent, did something—?"_

"Cloud. I can't explain over the phone so just get here as soon as you can, please."

He could picture Cloud biting his lip to keep from asking any more questions and he feared the blond would fight him on this. However, Cloud agreed to meet him there by nightfall before hanging up without a proper goodbye. Vincent had no time to feel offended—he had other calls to make and he had to be quick about it.


End file.
